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On the Nature of Taste and Whether It Can Be Learned

At some point, most people encounter someone whose sense of style, fashion, or decor feels consistently off. At first, this is easy to dismiss as a matter of preference. Taste is subjective, we tell ourselves. But when poor taste recurs across different contexts, it raises a more unsettling question. What exactly is taste? How does good taste develop? Why do some people seem unable to acquire it? Good taste is often misunderstood as trend awareness or personal expression. In reality, it is something far more restrained and disciplined. Good taste is the ability to recognize proportion, coherence, and intention within a given context. It reflects an understanding of relationships between elements rather than attachment to any single element. People with good taste notice balance, scale, rhythm, and absence. They sense when something is excessive, distracts from its purpose, or draws attention to itself unnecessarily. Most importantly, they adapt their choices to context. What works in o...
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Forgiven but Not Spared

Psalm 51 stands as one of the most penetrating reflections on sin, repentance, mercy, and consequence in all of Scripture. It arises directly from one of the darkest episodes in Israel’s history, the sin of King David with Bathsheba, as recorded in 2 Samuel chapters 11 and 12. Together, the narrative and the psalm reveal a God who forgives fully yet allows consequences to unfold, and a king who is restored relationally while still bearing the earthly cost of his actions.

While David’s army was away at war, he remained in Jerusalem. From the roof of his palace, he saw Bathsheba bathing. Despite knowing that she was the wife of Uriah the Hittite, one of his elite soldiers, David summoned her and slept with her. When Bathsheba became pregnant, David attempted to conceal his sin by recalling Uriah from the battlefield, hoping he would sleep with his wife and assume the child was his own. Uriah refused, demonstrating integrity and solidarity with his fellow soldiers. In desperation, David ordered that Uriah be placed on the front lines, where he would be killed. After Uriah’s death, David married Bathsheba. Scripture concludes the account with a stark judgment. “But the thing David had done displeased the LORD” (2 Samuel 11:27, NIV).

Under Jewish law, adultery and murder were capital offenses. Yet the law also addressed the issue of coercion. Deuteronomy 22:25-27 (NIV) states, “But if out in the country a man happens to meet a young woman pledged to be married and rapes her, only the man who has done this shall die. Do nothing to the woman; she has committed no sin deserving death. This case is like that of someone who attacks and murders a neighbor, for the man found the young woman out in the country, and though the betrothed woman screamed, there was no one to rescue her.” This legal framework helps explain why the prophet Nathan’s rebuke in 2 Samuel 12 is directed entirely at David. Bathsheba is neither condemned nor punished. The responsibility rests fully with the king.

Nathan confronts David through a parable, exposing his guilt. When David repents, Nathan delivers both forgiveness and consequence. “Then David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the LORD.’ Nathan replied, ‘The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die’” (2 Samuel 12:13, NIV). David is spared execution not because the law was ignored, but because of repentance, divine mercy, and God’s sovereign prerogative within Israel’s theocratic context. The Hebrew concept of repentance, teshuvah, implies turning back, not merely feeling remorse but reorienting one’s life toward God.

This distinction is critical. Forgiveness removes eternal guilt, but it does not erase earthly consequences. Nathan declares that the child born from the union will die, and that violence will never depart from David’s house. These consequences unfold with devastating precision. “The LORD struck the child that Uriah’s wife had borne to David, and he became ill” (2 Samuel 12:15, NIV). The child dies. David’s family descends into chaos. Nathan had prophesied, “The sword will never depart from your house” (2 Samuel 12:10, NIV). Absalom’s rebellion and his public taking of David’s concubines fulfills this judgment. “So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof, and he slept with his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel” (2 Samuel 16:22, NIV). David is forgiven, but he is not spared the cost.

Psalm 51 reveals how David understands this moment. The psalm moves through three primary movements. First is a plea for mercy grounded in God’s covenantal love. “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions” (Psalm 51:1, NIV). The Hebrew word for unfailing love is ḥesed, a term denoting steadfast, covenantal loyalty. David appeals not to his own merit, but to God’s faithfulness.

The second movement is a request for restoration. “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10, NIV). The verb “create” here is baraʾ, the same word used in Genesis 1, emphasizing that David knows only God can undo the damage he has caused. This is not a request to escape consequences, but a plea for inner renewal and a restored relationship.

The final movement is a commitment to witness and obedience. “Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you” (Psalm 51:13, NIV). David accepts that his restored life must now serve others. Repentance produces humility, testimony, and responsibility.

Bathsheba’s story does not end in disgrace. As David’s death approaches, she plays a decisive political role. In 1 Kings 1:17 (NIV), she reminds David of his oath that Solomon would succeed him. With the support of the prophet Nathan, she secures Solomon’s throne, thwarting Adonijah’s attempt to crown himself as king. Her authority is confirmed in 1 Kings 2:19, where Solomon rises to meet her and seats her at his right hand. The queen mother becomes the highest-ranking woman in the kingdom. Scripture never treats Bathsheba as an adulteress, but as a legitimate and honored figure within God’s redemptive plan.

This entire narrative unfolds within the biblical understanding that kings are not above the law. Deuteronomy 17:18-19 (NIV) commands that the king write for himself a copy of the law and read it daily “so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law.” Kings were restricted in wealth, wives, and military power, and they were held accountable by prophets who spoke for God. David’s punishment is not proof of favoritism. It is proof that even Israel’s greatest king is subject to God’s authority.

Psalm 51, therefore, teaches a sobering and hopeful truth. Repentance brings forgiveness, but not exemption from consequence. The faithful response to sin is not denial, self-justification, or resentment, but acceptance of responsibility and gratitude for mercy. David does not protest the loss of the child. He worships. He does not abandon God when discipline comes. He submits.

The lesson is clear. God’s mercy is real. Forgiveness is complete. Yet obedience, humility, and trust must continue even when consequences remain. The unknown may be frightening, but a heart turned toward God can endure it. Psalm 51 does not promise escape. It promises restoration, honesty, and a renewed relationship with the God who remains faithful even when His people fail.

 

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